Edinburgh International Arts Festival presents the world premiere of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle! :: August 20, 2011 – August 24, 2011 :: Kings Theater, Edinburgh :: an interdisciplinary, multimedia theatrical performance based on the internationally acclaimed novel by one of Japan’s most renowned writers, Haruki Murakami. Directed by Stephen Earnhart, co-written with Greg Pierce, Set and Puppet Design by Tom Lee, Lighting Design by Laura Mrockowski, Sound Design and Music by Jane Shaw, Costume Design by Oana Botez-Ban, Video Projection Design by Adam Larsen and Shawn Duan, Music and Live performance by Bora Yoon. Combining live performance, puppetry, and choreography with video projections and hypnotic soundscapes to create a “theatre of dreams.”

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is a detective story, an account of a disintegrating marriage and a dramatic revelation of long buried Second World War secrets.

Toru Okada is an unassuming everyman. His cat has disappeared, a seemingly innocuous event that triggers a series of increasingly bizarre encounters. His wife inexplicably vanishes, leading Toru on a search during which he encounters a strange and compelling cast of characters, each with their own intriguing stories. Crossing the boundary between reality and dreams, these interactions open doors to a hallucinatory world charged with sexuality and violence. As the lines between fantasy and reality dissolve, Toru must confront the dark forces that exist inside him to begin to understand the mystery of his life.